The past week has been a whirlwind immersed in friends, travel, and self-reflection. I flew out to New York to watch The Amazing Race finale with Jelani, Laura, Tyler, Harley, Mike, Rochelle, Matt, and Ashley. We went balls to the walls making up for lost time and the times we wish we could've partied together on the race. There's never a dull moment with my TAR crew which makes a lot of sense. If they're dynamic and fun enough to be on TV, then they're definitely even more fun to hang out with when the cameras are off.

The day after the finale, I went shopping determined to buy myself a consolation prize for coming in second. After hitting up a dozen stores on Fifth Avenue and ogling over Chanel, YSL, and Cartier, I walked away buying...nothing. Yes, I was tempted by lots of pretty things but deep down I knew buying a new bag or a shiny piece of jewelry wasn't what I needed. I didn't need a consolation prize to make me feel good. I had to find it within, or at a toy store! So I went to FAO Schwartz, danced on the giant piano, played with gadgets, ate candy, and became a kid again. And that felt good!

From New York, I flew out to Atlanta to take a road trip to Nashville with two of my girlfriends. One of them happened to be the friend I originally auditioned for TAR with. It was quiet the poetic full circle to end the race the way I started, with her by my side.

The people, particular the men in Nashville and Atlanta, are so friendly. Not creepy, I want to get in your pants friendly, but friendly for the sake of being friendly. And honestly that's quite true for most places in the US which has convinced me that all the assholes move to LA or NY. We bar hopped, carved out our own dance floors, ate ribs and briskets with true Southern grit, and talked and laugh the way friends of over twenty years can.